Monarda plant named &#39;Pardon My Cerise&#39;

ABSTRACT

The new and distinct cultivar of ornamental cultivar of bee balm plant named  Monarda didyma  ‘Pardon My Cerise’ has short, compact, basally branching stems, medium to dark green foliage with slight tinting of greyed purple, numerous large cerise-colored flowers creating excellent flower coverage and strong foliar resistance to powdery mildew.

Botanical classification: Monarda didyma.

Variety denomination: ‘Pardon My Cerise’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the new and distinct cultivar of bee balm plant, botanically known as Monarda didyma ‘Pardon My Cerise’, and hereinafter also referred to solely as the cultivar ‘Pardon My Cerise’ or the “new plant”. The new plant was selected from seed collected by the hybridizers on Oct. 7, 2009 from designated hybridizing plot of a nursery in Zeeland, Mich., USA, from Monarda didyma ‘Petite Delight’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,784 as the female or seed parent and the male or pollen parent was uncontrolled and could have been any of the other parents in a large collection in the nearby vicinity. The plant was a single selection originally made in the summer of 2011 from the seeds that were sown in the fall of 2009. Further selection was completed in the trial fields of a nursery in Zeeland, Mich. in the summer of 2012 and the plant was assigned the breeder code of HK9-42-16. The plant has been asexually propagated by shoot tip cuttings originally in 2012 at the same nursery in the greenhouses in Zeeland, Mich., and the subsequent asexually propagated plants found to be stable, true to type and identical to the original selection.

No plants of Monarda ‘Pardon My Cerise’ have been sold in this country, or anywhere in the world, prior to the filing of this application, nor has any disclosure of the new plant been made prior to the filing of this application with the exception of that which was disclosed within one year of the filing of this application and was either derived directly or indirectly from the inventors.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PLANT

Monarda didyma ‘Pardon My Cerise’ is unique from its parents and all other bee balm plants known to the inventors. The nearest comparison varieties are the female parent ‘Petite Delight’, ‘Achall’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 19,582 and ‘Fire Marshall’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 23,286. ‘Petite Delight’ is in similar in height, but that the new plant has flowers that are more cerise than the pink of ‘Petite Delight’. The flowers of ‘Achall’ are more red-purple than the cerise of ‘Pardon My Cerise’, but the two are close in height. ‘Jacob Cline’ (not patented), ‘Colrain Red’ (not patented), ‘Cambridge Scarlet’ (not patented), ‘Gardenview Scarlet’ (not patented), ‘Marshalls Delight’ (not patented), ‘Fireball’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 14,235 and ‘Fire Marshall’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 23,286 all have similar reddish or cerise flower colors. ‘Jacob Cline’, ‘Colrain Red’, ‘Cambridge Scarlet’, ‘Gardenview Scarlet’, ‘Marshalls Delight’ and ‘Fireball’ are all taller with heights of about 120 cm, 90 cm, 95 cm, 90 cm, 70 cm and 60 cm respectively. ‘Fire Marshall’ has a height of about 50 cm compared to the shorter height of ‘Pardon My Cerise’ of about 45 cm. ‘Pardon My Cerise’ also has darker green-colored foliage than ‘Fire Marshall’. Other similar-sized or smaller bee balm include ‘Pardon My Pink’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 24,244 which has a much more pinkish flower than the new plant, and ‘Pardon My Purple’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 22,170 which has a much more purplish flower than the new plant.

The following are traits of Monarda didyma ‘Pardon My Cerise’ that in combination distinguish it from all other bee balm known to the inventor:

-   -   1. Very short, winter-hardy, compact, clumping habit.     -   2. Medium to dark-green leaves with tinting of greyed purple.     -   3. Strong powdery mildew resistant foliage.     -   4. Large-sized, cerise-colored flowers for a long period in         summer with excellent flower coverage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the unique traits of ‘Pardon My Cerise’ and the overall appearance of the plant at two-years old in the full sun trial garden of a nursery in Zeeland, Mich. The colors are as accurate as reasonably possible with color reproductions. Variation in ambient light spectrum, source and direction may cause the appearance of minor variation in color.

FIG. 1 shows a close-up of the flowers.

FIG. 2 shows the new plant in flower in the landscape.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references are based on the 2001 edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where common dictionary terms are used. Monarda didyma ‘Pardon My Cerise’ has not been observed under all possible environments. The phenotype may vary slightly with different growing environments such as temperature, light, fertility, soil pH, moisture and maturity levels, but without any change in the genotype. The following observations and size descriptions are based on two-year old greenhouse-grown plants in gallon containers at a nursery in Zeeland, Mich. with supplemental fertilizer and water as needed but without plant growth regulators or pinching.

-   Botanical classification: Monarda didyma; -   Parentage: Female (seed) parent is Monarda didyma ‘Petite Delight’     U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,784; male (pollen) parent is unknown; -   Plant habit: Winter-hardy herbaceous perennial, compact, producing     several stems spreading by short rhizomes; 35 to 45 cm tall at     flowering and 80 to 90 cm wide; flowering begins mid-summer in     Michigan and continuing for about 5 to 8 weeks; -   Propagation: Stem cuttings; -   Time to produce finished crop in 3.8 liter pots: about 10 to 12     weeks; moderate rate of growth; -   Root: Fine, fibrous and freely branching; color creamy white to tan     depending on soil type; -   Leaves: Simple, lanceolate, opposite, serrated, puberulent above and     below; lustrous above, matte below; acute apex, rounded to cordate     base; 4.0 to 6.5 cm long by 3.0 to 4.0 cm wide, average about 6.0 cm     long and 3.5 cm wide; -   Leaf color: Young expanding leaves nearest RHS 138C on adaxial     surface and on abaxial surface nearest RHS 138D; mature adaxial     leaves between RHS 139A and RHS 136A and abaxial leaves nearest RHS     144A; -   Foliage fragrance: Pleasantly herbal; -   Veins: Pinnate; pubescent below with minute puberulent above,     slightly sunken above and raised below; -   Vein color: Mature leaves adaxial midrib and primary veins nearest     RHS 144D, secondary adaxial veins between RHS 139A and RHS 136A;     mature abaxial midrib and primary veins between RHS 145D and RHS     145C, secondary abaxial veins nearest RHS 145B; emerging leaves     adaxial midrib and primary veins nearest RHS 138C, secondary veins     on emerging abaxial surfaces same color as surrounding leaf tissue;     emerging leaves abaxial midrib and primary veins between RHS 145D     and RHS 149D, secondary veins on emerging primary abaxial leaves     nearest RHS 145B; -   Bracts: Between distal leaves and flowers; sessile; deltoid to     lanceolate, with acuminate apex and truncate base; about seven per     terminal verticillaster; average about 1.6 cm long and 1.0 cm wide; -   Bract color: Abaxial and adaxial nearest RHS 145A with veins with     heavy tinting of nearest RHS N186C; and veins abaxial and adaxial of     nearest RHS 187A; -   Petiole: Pubescent, slightly concavo-convex; average about 3.5 mm     long and 2.0 mm across; -   Petiole color: Nearest RHS 138D with tinting of nearest RHS N187A     adaxial and nearest RHS 138D abaxial; -   Stems: Quadrangular, puberulent, densely pubescent at nodes and stem     corners; about 3.0 mm across at base and about 35 to 45 cm long; -   Stem color: Between RHS 138B and RHS 138C in upper portion with base     portion blend of between RHS 146C and RHS 138C; -   Lower branches: About quadrangular, puberulent, densely pubescent at     nodes and stem corners; commonly three to four per main stem; about     2.0 mm across at base and about 30 to 40 cm long; -   Lower branch color: Same as main stem with additional tinting of     nearest RHS N74C; -   Nodes: About 22 to 24 per stem; -   Flowers: Single, labiate, actinomorphic flowers arranged in terminal     verticillate head about 7.6 cm across and 4.3 cm tall opening from     the center and progressing outwardly and down; each flower     persisting about 5 days in Michigan; numerous, about 80 flowers per     head; flower altitude upright to slightly arcuate in center of     verticil to horizontal toward outer perimeter of verticil;     self-cleaning; -   Flower period: Usually late June into August; about six to seven     weeks; -   Flower fragrance: Moderately spicy; -   Buds one to two days prior to opening: Narrowly oblanceolate;     tubular; rounded apex; arcuate slightly downward in distal half;     about 2.7 cm long and about 3.0 mm diameter in the middle. -   Bud color one to two days prior to opening: nearest RHS 59C in     distal one third with a lighter base of white, lighter than RHS     N155D or RHS 155D; -   Petals: Labiate, arcuate downward; split in two in about the distal     1.2 cm with upper lip fused into a hood about 3.0 cm long and 2.5 mm     diameter; lower lip about 3.5 cm long comprising three lobes     including two side lobes about 1.0 mm long with rounded apex and     center lobe about 4.0 to 5.0 mm long split in the distal 1.0 mm;     both lobes glandular and pubescent outer surfaces with fine hairs     the same color as petals; both lobes glabrous on inner surfaces; -   Petal color: Color of all petals on both surfaces when first opening     nearest RHS 53B with basal 5.0 mm white, lighter than RHS 155D;     after about three days open petal color all surfaces between RHS 53D     and RHS 54A; -   Androecium: Two;     -   -   Filaments.—two, about 3.2 cm long by 0.5 mm diameter; color             nearest RHS N66D.         -   Anther.—oblong elliptic, dorsifixed, longitudinal; 2.2 mm by             1.0 mm; color between RHS 62D and RHS 63D with longitudinal             dehiscence line between RHS 64C and RHS 64B.         -   Pollen.—abundant, elliptic to globose, less than 0.1 mm;             color nearest RHS 15D. -   Gynoecium: One per flower;     -   -   Style.—about 3.8 cm by 0.25 mm; color between RHS 71D and             RHS 71C toward distal end, lightening to nearest RHS 69B             toward base.         -   Stigma.—split in two in the distal 2.0 mm, 0.25 mm in             diameter; color nearest RHS 64A.         -   Ovary.—1.0 mm by 0.75 mm; color between RHS 143D and RHS             144B. -   Sepals: Five, apiculate apex, base fused forming corolla about 9.0     mm long and 2.0 mm diameter; apex glandular and with minute hairs on     abaxial surface; -   Sepal color: Abaxial distal one third to half nearest RHS N186C,     proximal half to two thirds of outer corolla surface nearest RHS     138C with slight tinting of RHS N186C and darker veins of RHS 138A;     and adaxial same colors with veins remaining closer to RHS 138C; -   Peduncle: Pubescent, stiff, strong, erect, quadrangular to about 0.3     cm across and average about 38.0 cm long; about 15 per plant;     naturally branched at nodes; -   Peduncle color: Between RHS 138B and RHS 138C in upper portion with     base portion blend of between RHS 146C and RHS 138C; -   Fruit: Single nutlet, elliptical, about 1.0 mm long and 0.7mm wide; -   Hardiness: The new plant grows best with plenty of moisture and     adequate drainage; hardy to at least from USDA zone 4 through 8; -   Disease and pest resistance: Demonstrated strong powdery mildew     resistance (Sphaerotheca pannosa var. rosa) in side by side     comparison at least equal that of ‘Petite Delight’ and better than     ‘AChall’; 

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of ornamental bee balm plant, Monarda didyma ‘Pardon My Cerise’, as herein described and illustrated. 